By Whitney Spencer
Junior forward Angel McCoughtry did not play her best game. The Cardinals didn’t need her to.
The No. 4 seed University of Louisville women’s basketball team defeated the No. 13 seed University of Miami , Oh., 81-67 in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday behind a total team effort.
“I felt like I played one of my worst games of my career tonight,” McCoughtry, who scored 20 points, said after the game. “But we got some runs and we got some lay-ups and I think that helped.”
As the leading scorer in the Big East, McCoughtry is averaging 24 points per game, but has only averaged 13 points in her NCAA tournament past. She came up with 14 by the half against Miami. McCoughtry also finished with eight rebounds and three steals.
McCoughtry left the game with 4:39 remaining after coming down on a teammate’s foot and rolling her left ankle. She stayed on the Cardinals bench for the rest of the game, but expects to play in the next round.
Also making noise inside for the Cardinals was junior center Chauntise Wright with 21 points, seven rebounds and four block shots. Senior point guard Patrika Barlow contributed with 11 assists and seven rebounds.
The Cards led by as many as 15 in the first half, but Miami cut it to 49-41 with just over five minutes left in the second half. Amanda Jackson led Miami with 22 points, including 16 in the second half.
After two three-pointers from sophomore guard Brandie Radde and a three-point play from junior forward Candyce Bingham, the Cardinals were never again threatened.
The Cardinals will now face the No. 5 seed Kansas State University tonight. KSU is without their star senior guard Kimberly Dietz, who injured her leg during the Big 12 tournament. Her replacement, junior guard Kelsey Nelson, dropped a career-high 20 points in the first round against the No. 12 seed University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, helping end the nation’s longest winning streak at 24 games. In that game, Kansas State set a tournament record by making all 21 of their free throws.
Prior to this year’s tournament seeding, the Cardinals had never been better than a No. 6 seed, which they accomplished last year. The team had expectations of a high seed thanks to their showing in the conference tournament. The Cards won over No. 7 Rutgers University and No. 16 West Virginia University to reach the championship game. Then produced a 15-point rally still coming up short to No. 1 University of Connecticut, 65-59, in the Big East title game heightened their RPI to No. 11.
Having never made it past the second round in school history, the Cards are looking for a longer stay this year after losing to Arizona State University last year in the second round of the tournament.
“I feel like we can beat anybody right now,” U of L junior forward Candyce Bingham said.
